A Snitch in the Works
by Sewnata
Summary: When Rebekah Chow and Danny Corliss decide to take the A-team down, Rebekah's sister offers to help as an informer for the guys. But can she be trusted to do her job? Is she genuinely trying to help, or just trying to win the team's trust? All comments and critiques for this story are welcome!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the A-team, Winston Corliss or Chow (what would I do with them if I did?).

I do claim Danny Corliss, Rebekah and Sadie Chow as my own creations.

The A-Team

By: Emma Greening

Story Name: A Snitch in the Works

Prologue

The sound of music, soft, lilting jazz music, met Mr. Danny Corliss's ears as he tilted back the cocktail into his mouth. He gazed moodily at the candles on the table, and fingered with his bow tie nervously. He looked at the party crowd warily from behind slightly closed lids. He didn't care for people, too many times people had become a nuisance, a danger to business. And all he cared about was that, and his brother, Winston too. But Winston was out of the picture now. Danny had to fend for himself.

He shifted uncomfortably as a young woman sashayed to his table, her large, hazel eyes glancing down at him for a moment as she introduced herself, " Rebekah Chow, reporter. You must be Danny Corliss! I've heard a lot about you, I must say! My friend Marianne has told me all about your brother's extradition and execution. I am sorry, about your ruined business and your brother's death."

Danny rose suspiciously, and took Rebekah by the wrist, pulling her into the chair beside him.

"Who told you about my business? Isis?" Danny questioned. He had been suspicious of his secretary flapping her lips when he had hired her. But, she had been quick, efficient and had great references. Still, that was no excuse for mouthing off.

Rebekah only looked innocently back. "Isis? No, I heard it from someone who I had a great respect for. "She turned to stare out at the slowly setting sun, painting the skyscrapers of L.A. picturesquely in red, gold and pink. "My father told me that you had a drug smuggling business, and that he was one of your suppliers for a few years when we were in China. The Corliss brothers, he told me were quote, "an excellent way to ship drugs into and out of the Americas. But this was before we came to the states. When we migrated here, my father was arrested for trying to help a criminal get back to his wife. He was only in prison a short time before he died. The stress was too much for him. "

"But why were you looking for me? After all, Miss Chow, I think I must warn you. If you want to continue the business partnership that your father and I had, it is almost impossible. When Winston was extradited it gutted most of our business. If it weren't for just a few lines not discovered I would be begging on the streets! I can hardly pay for the threads I have on now!" He glanced down at his expensive suit, and straightened it.

"I wasn't looking for you to continue the business partnership." Rebekah whispered softly. "I came here to make a proposition which I am confident you will accept."

"And what proposition is that?" Danny asked slowly, his eyes narrowing. He couldn't trust anyone anymore.

"I know who killed your brother, Danny. The A-team had your brother extradited from Venezuela, and then he was executed when he stepped foot in the states. I know how it feels to lose a loved one. It was to them that I lost my father."

"So what's your point?" Danny said shortly.

"What would you say to an alliance against these soldiers of fortune, who have torn a hole in our lives which can never be replaced?" Rebekah coaxed. "But, where are you going?"

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"If we want to take down the A-team, we're gonna need some muscle." He nodded to her as he rose from his chair and watched, pleased as Rebekah's face spread into a sweet smile.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

To Hire, or Not to Hire

Hannibal crouched in the small folding chair he had stuffed into the corvette's trunk. The few pedestrians that dotted the boardwalk looked cold and uncomfortable, all of them looking ready to be home in their cozy apartments.

He shook his head. How could he be absolutely sure that it wasn't a set up? Yes, on occasion there had been a few that had been military plants, and what if this was the same? He stroked the fake walrus mustache on his upper lip. Face wasn't the only one good at disguises.

But his musings were interrupted when a young thing with a head of long, charcoal black hair moved cautiously towards him. Her large, greyish-green eyes looked furtively about her, as she whispered in a low voice, "I would like a pair of skates, please." And held out a small wad of dollar bills.

"What size?" Hannibal asked, trying to appear uninterested. But in reality, he was quickly running her through the gauntlet of trustworthiness.

"Size six, and make sure it the third one in the row." The strange girl demanded, stuffing her pale hands into the pockets of her coat.

"They're all size six, miss..?"

"Chow. Sadie Chow. I'm sorry but there's something in there for me, something that my friend wants me to take a look at. You see, I work for a Daycare center, and we were thinking of doing a huge treasure hunt sort of thing. I hope you understand, but my friend said that the paper was inside the third pair of skates! I'm sorry if I'm causing you any inconvenience!" She explained, her eyes smiling without her mouth.

Hannibal grinned. He knew of course she was laying it on awfully thick, but a little training and she would be pretty convincing. He held out the pair of skates she asked for, pulling off the wig, and wiggling on his signature black gloves. "Your real name is Sadie Chow? I'm sorry, it's not that we don't trust you, it's just that we don't trust anyone."

The girl dug into the toe of the left skate, and pulled out a small piece of paper with the words: You Have Just Found the A-Team written across it in bold print. She rubbed at the folded lines with a finger nail.

"Yes, it's official. Check my birth certificate and you'll find it there in glorious black and white. But where are the rest of the team, I thought there were three of you?"

Hannibal winced. Murdock wouldn't be happy to not be recognized as part of the team, but he had explained it to him before.

"There are three of us, but they're back in a house in Riverside. I'll drive you there, we can talk on the way." Hannibal murmured as he led the way to where he had parked the vette, reaching into his pocket for a cigar.

"Is this your car? Or did you just borrow it to look flashy?" Sadie asked, stroking the red stripe that ran all along the hood of the car.

"Borrowed it from a friend. So what's the trouble miss Chow, any extortionists after you?" Hannibal turned to his young client impatiently. Couldn't she get straight to the point?

"Actually, to be honest with you, I'm not so much hiring you guys, as I am offering my own services to help you." She cleared her throat, and continued before Hannibal could react. "You see, a few years ago, a newly emigrated Chinese man was arrested for helping a well-known criminal. That man died a few months later, after his client was locked once more into the strong dungeons of a U.S. jail. He was a drug-runner too, but no one except the two Corliss brothers knew that, he worked on getting his China White smuggled into the Americas. And they were the best outlet.

But now that you have heard his story, let me shock you, Mr. Smith." She fixed her pair of steady, grey-green eyes onto his piercing, ice blue ones. "That man was my father! My mother bore him five children, three daughters and two sons.

My brothers, Milo and Tommy stayed back in China when we immigrated, it was their own choice. My older sister Rebekah and other sister Penny didn't have any arguments and so we moved here. But my father wouldn't be content with working with the Corliss brothers, he helped a criminal and did wrong. I was sad when he died, but I knew it was his own choice."

"I see." Hannibal replied, trying to grasp all the facts. "But what does this have to do with you helping us?" He turned to her confused.

"My sister was closer to our father than any of us ever were, you might say that he had favorites among his children." Sadie replied bitterly. "Last week, she met the last surviving Corliss brother at a cocktail party. She made a proposition to him to take care of the A-team once and for all. He accepted it. "She continued.

"This is where I come in. She got in touch with me, as soon as Danny accepted her proposition, and has drafted me in this scheme even though I want no part in it. But, they trust me, and don't have people following me anywhere. I have access to tracking devices and other kinds of equipment which might come in handy. Any move they make, you'll know." She looked up hopefully at Hannibal as he swiveled the steering wheel right, then left.

"I'll introduce you to the rest of the team first, Miss Chow." He merely replied, ignoring her look of dismay. "They need to be briefed on our next mission."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Safe from Death

Murdock stared out of the window at the lifeless palm trees in the front yard. There was a tennis court and pool (including six bedrooms and five bath, Face had proudly claimed.) but the fact that it was in the middle of November made the thought of swimming a little distasteful to the team.

He shook his head, wondering when Hannibal would be back. The Colonel had left them behind (just in case) to check out a prospective client. It took about an hour to get from Riverside to L.A. and Murdock was guessing Hannibal had had to have time to interview the client before he made his decision.

He looked up as the front door slammed, a young woman stepping into the front hall and gazing at the hugeness of the place. Murdock smiled, and raised the back of the reclining chair. "Well, welcome to Mad Chateau Murdock! And who have I the pleasure of meeting?"

The girl smiled shyly, and held out a small white hand for Murdock to shake.

"Hello, my name is Sadie Chow. I'm sorry but I don't think I know your name."

Murdock smiled weakly. Not know one of the members of the team? The woman looked like she wasn't expecting him there at all! But he swallowed his frustration as he remembered that he was supposed to be the mysterious unknown member.

"The name's Murdock. Captain H.M. Murdock, at your service mademoiselle." Speaking in a thick, Russian accent, Murdock accepted the hand the girl held out to him and kissed it.

Hannibal returned to see both Murdock and Sadie talking like a couple of old friends. He grinned. The fact that she could easily make friends with them put him a little more at ease. He turned to see his second in command come tapping down the stairs adjusting his tie picking an imaginary piece of lint from off his sleeve.

"Hey Hannibal, your back! So how'd it go? Is she trustworthy?" Face asked, running his fingers through his ash-blonde hair.

Hannibal smiled, and gestured towards Sadie, who was still engaged in conversation with Murdock. "Take a look."

Face glanced at her, and gave Hannibal one of his million-dollar smiles. "Nice…wonder what she does after work. I'll have to ask her. Maybe some sushi and a movie or something. What about our mission?"

Hannibal's eyes twinkled. "Well, I'm not spoiling it, let her surprise you." Turning to Sadie he said, "Well, I see that you have already become acquainted with Murdock.'

Sadie blushed. "We had an invigorating conversation, Hannibal. But who is this?" She asked, gazing up into Face's dark blue eyes.

"This is my second in command, Face, meet Sadie Chow, our new unofficial member."

"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Chow. May I have the honor of calling you Sadie? Miss Chow is so formal." Face gently took Sadie's hand and raised it to his lips.

She smiled. "You and your friend Murdock are certainly gentlemen! Why that's the second time my hand's been kissed instead of shaken! Of course you can call me Sadie!" Her eyes sparkled.

"And here's B.A." Hannibal interrupted, as B.A. lumbered into the living room, the golden chains that burdened his neck clinking as he walked.

"Alright then, guys now that you're all here, I will brief you on your next mission. To be quiet honest though, I'm not here to hire you. Actually, it's vice versa. I want you to consider hiring me. Let me explain, before you guys start to ask questions…" Sadie then re-stated what she had already told Hannibal on the drive up.

At the end, Face held up a hand. "So, what you're telling us, is that you can keep us in the know of what these cockroaches are doing, while keeping ourselves safe? Don't you think that's a little risky?" He looked into her grey-green eyes with concern.

But instead, she just smiled confidently at him. "I do think it is risky, but I don't want my sister's feelings of hatred to get ahead of her. I don't want her to take apart your team. "She said simply.

Face grinned and shook his head. She certainly was brave. But whether it could be counted as bravery or mere stupidity he couldn't be sure. Still, it was commendable that she wanted to help out.

"Are you trading this information to get something, or are you just merely trying to help us out?" Hannibal asked, narrowing his eyes and pointing his cigar towards her.

"I'm just warning you, and if you want my services you can accept or reject them. But I didn't want to go back to helping my sister when I was so against it, unless I knew I had tried my best to do you a good turn." Sadie murmured.

"Well, I think it's obvious Hannibal, that what Sadie is saying could possibly be true. I mean, think of how many people must hate our guts because of what we've done to them through the years. She could have something here." Face nodded his head in agreement.

"Then it's settled. Miss Chow, the Lieutenant here will drive you back to your apartment, try to stay in your sister's confidence, we'll keep in touch." Hannibal's eyes were blazing with a strange sort of fire.

The rest of the team cringed inwardly. Hannibal was on the jazz.

"I'll stay in her confidence, don't worry." Sadie called out as Face guided her towards the front door.

"Well guys, it seems we have a little mission to accomplish." Hannibal wrapped his arms around his teammates and grinned.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

My Future: Ten Thousand Bucks

"This champagne is excellent Danny, where did you get it? I thought you said you were low on cash." Rebekah stared at the half full glass in her hand, and looked up into Danny's sky blue eyes.

He smiled. "Well, that wasn't quite true. I still can live in class." He confessed.

"Do you have the muscle ready? We have to think about that before we celebrate." Rebekah set the glass down resolutely on the side table.

"As well as can be expected. A thousand bucks for each of them sound okay?" Danny questioned her, raising his own glass to his lips.

"That depends on how many people?"

"Eight, that's five more than the team mind you. Just in case we have a few, er, miscalculations. I made sure they're all armed to the teeth."

"Good, then in the end, that leaves ten thousand for the two of us to share." Rebekah murmured, combing her fingers through her inky black hair. She looked up at Danny with wide, hazel eyes. "This won't be easy, Danny, you know don't you."

"I trust in your memory to help us out of that. All we need, is a solid plan…" He trailed off as Rebekah shushed him.

"Let me think about that, Danny."

"What about your sister, think she's trustworthy? After all, she did seem a little unwilling to help out, and if it hadn't been for your persuasion…"

"She probably would have alerted them by now. I trust her Danny. I don't think she wants to do this, but she'll do it for me, and for father. She can't deny that it was murder on the A-team's part! After all, when sending a poor, old man to prison, you can't exactly expect that he will live the rest of his life long and uneventful!" Rebekah fumed.

Danny patted her back comfortingly. He knew how she felt. Losing a family member could make the water works start even more than losing an old friend. And the fact that his brother had been nabbed as soon as he set foot in the states…alright so Winston had killed a guy, but that man had been trespassing on their property, there wasn't a law against shooting trespassers, as far as Danny knew.

"You just tell, Carson, or whoever it is that you've chosen as your second in command to keep his men ready at all times; we could be on the A-team's scent anytime now. If they can play the L.A. underground game, so can we." Rebekah closed her eyes wearily. Finally, after five years of misery, anger and bitterness, she would be able to take down the people she hated most. Now, she could sleep without worrying about what the next day held.

"Will do. Don't you think you should have a bug, or something trained on your sister, after all, she might try something, and you can't be sure that she won't." Danny persuaded. But in fact, he didn't trust Rebekah's sister himself. He hadn't heard much about the girl, and all he had seen of her, was at the few meetings they had had over the past week. She was a nice enough girl, but not of the same make as Rebekah. Rebekah was cool and efficient, with barely any personality, like a sort of robot. Sadie smiled more, laughed more, talked more. She was energetic and adventurous, with a touch of bravery and street-smarts which were needed in the big city. She could easily lose pursuers in a crowd.

"You don't trust her, do you?" Rebekah asked suspiciously, not even opening her eyes as she asked the question. She was too tired to move.

"It's not that I don't, but I'm afraid she'll try to pull something that will jeopardize all our plans. I mean, she didn't seem too willing to work with us on this anyway. What's to stop her tipping the A-team off?" Danny exclaimed defensively. He didn't want Rebekah to know that he didn't trust her sister. After all, what was the point? She could just as easily be innocent.

"I trust my sister. And anyway, even if she does tell them, they'll come after us, and we'll have them in the open. They'll be easily taken care of then." Rebekah mumbled in response. All would be taken care of, she promised herself. And nothing would go wrong. She would make sure of that.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Coffee Cups and Kidnappings

"This is your building, right Sadie?" Face asked as he pulled up to the front of a rather sleazy looking apartment complex. He turned to look at his young passenger.

"Yes." She replied shortly as she swung herself out of the car, and stood rubbing her arms. "Why don't you come in for a cup of coffee or something, to warm yourself up?" She said pleasantly.

"Sure. I was thinking about picking something up on the drive back anyway." Face gave her one of his best smiles.

"Good." She mumbled under her breath as they stepped into the elevator. "I suppose I must tell you, I'm a pretty fast cook."

"Then I could get you a job at a diner, where you'd get plenty of practice cooking on short order for crowds." Face joked, peering about Sadie's apartment. There wasn't much to look at. But, he told himself, he had seen worse.

The living room was absolutely bare, except for a large, velvet, burgundy couch, an elaborately carved, mahogany coffee table littered with magazines, a television set, and a tall, stand lamp with a pinkish shade.

The kitchen and dining room weren't much better. A tiny place, with a round table with a yellow table cloth, and four chairs in the dining room, and in the kitchen a small bar with a couple chairs in front. Both were spotlessly clean.

"Here. I'm sorry about the crack, but they're all pretty much like that." She said apologetically as she slid a mug across the counter.

Face stared down at the coffee, turned beige from the cream. She was right, there was a large chip on the rim. "I don't mean to pry." He said hesitatingly, "But can't you get yourself anything better? I mean…"

"Alright, if you must know. After father died, I had to fend for myself. I've lost a few jobs, and was almost so desperate as to accept what my sister held out. But I just couldn't get away from my conscience. And so, I have remained the poor girl you see before you. Living it up in her little kingdom of poverty." She coughed violently.

Face stared at her concerned. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, or bring anything to the surface that would be painful for her. He hated to ruin self-esteem.

"I'm sorry, it's just…" He stopped and rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to go on.

"You needn't say anymore. I understand." Sadie sighed, and glanced down at the sparkling countertop. Even if she was poor, she prided herself in being clean.

"Here." Face said bitterly, not even looking at his fair hostess. "I'm not that thirsty anyway." He stalked out of the room, shutting the door none too gently behind him.

Sadie stared after him, her mouth gaping. What had she said, to make him leave so soon?

Face stabbed at the sidewalk, biting his lower lip and cursing himself for a fool. How he had been so stupid as to bring up something that was painful to Sadie, he could not imagine!

He shook his head, and yanked open the car door, reaching down for the phone. "Hey, is that you Hannibal?" He mumbled as he combed his fingers through his hair. But before anyone could answer, he felt a heavy pressure on his shoulder. A slight shiver went down his spine.

He eyed the intruder behind him warily, and switched the phone to the other ear, until he heard the Colonel's familiar voice mixed with the lilting back-ground notes of the piano.

"Yeah, kid I can hear you loud and clear." Hannibal responded.

Face turned again to glance nervously at the onlooker behind him, and covered the phone's mouthpiece. The man was studying what looked to be a well folded, glossy, black and white photograph. "Hey buddy, I appreciate that you like my car, but can you please get going. I'm having a pretty private conversation here!" Face gave the stranger his worst glare.

The goon only gave him a toothy smile, and gripping Face by the shoulder, turned him so that they looked straight into each other's eyes. "I'm sorry Mr., but I was not admiring your car. I only wanted to ask you if you recognize this picture? This is all for a good cause." He assured, holding out the photo he had been studying only a moment before.

Face scanned it, and inwardly cringed. It was like looking into a mirror. But he pretended to look surprised. "This man? Nope, I haven't seen him. A friend of yours, was he?" Face gave the goon one of his cocky grins.

"You won't need that grin where you're going." The man shrugged his shoulders resignedly, and brought his fists out in a lightning speed series of punches. "So I might as well help you out, by getting rid of it." He finished, as Face collapsed to the concrete with a groan. The phone in his hand fell to the ground. But had Hannibal gotten an earful?


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

You are My Sunshine

The sound of dripping rang in his ears. A bright light burned through the blind fold that covered his eyes. Face winced inwardly, as the blindfold was removed, and the lights shoved closer.

"Well, Mr. Peck, welcome to my lovely home! I can see you've already met Carson." The deep, womanly voice sounded faraway.

But Face wasn't surprised. That often happened when your ears had been beaten with a fist. He shook his head and groaned. Every muscle was screaming at him to lose the stress. But he couldn't. Not if he wanted to escape. He gave the mysterious voice one of his smiles.

"I'm really late you know; Got a date at seven, and I can't exactly go in this." He looked down at the torn lapels of his suit jacket. He knew he looked a mess. "Besides, you knocked out one of my caps, and the girl I'm dating wouldn't really be pleased to see a gap now, would she? I mean, you gotta allow me a touch of pride in appearance."

But the woman seemed far from amused. "Oh, you've lost a cap have you?" She muttered in the dark, more to herself than to anyone else. "You'll lose more than that, after I'm finished with you! My entire life has been wrecked all because of...of you and you're team! I'm sick of reading about it in the paper, sick of it! Sick of people constantly talking about how wonderful you are! They don't know my side of the story! Perhaps then, they'd think differently!" She reached forwards and grasped what was left of Face's collar, bringing him towards her and punching him ruthlessly in the face. She wanted to make sure it hurt, and hurt bad.

Face looked up at the goon next to him, a huge stoic guy with a gigantic spotlight clenched in his fist. "Hey," Face said, trying to catch the guy's attention. "Nice weather we're having, but the sun's a little on the bright side…" He didn't finish. The goon started pounding him angrily, trying to get him to shut up. But beneath the blood, Face grinned. He knew it would be a long day, he could feel it. But he'd escape somehow, and if not? Well, why not leave that thought till later?

"Alright, you've had time to think it over Peck, I want an answer! I've been waiting too long to wait another twenty-four hours for you to crack! Where are your friends? I want to know now!" She gave him an eager, searching look, the kind that a hungry she-wolf would give.

Face decided then and there that it was no time to "wax eloquent". "Friends? What do you mean, friends? I'm an orphan, why should I of all people have friends?" He made it sound as if it were the stupidest thing in the world. "And by the way, Sally is expecting me so, if you would kindly untie the ropes I would be most grateful." He pleaded, giving the darkness where he supposed the lady to be standing a slight tilt of the head and one of his confused looks. Inwardly, he grinned. If he could get out of this tight spot it would be a record for the best scam he'd run in the ten year's they'd been a team. Earlier life didn't count of course.

"Suit yourself Peck. I can be patient, even if I don't want to. My husband will, ahem, to put it eloquently, drop in on you later. He'll know how to crack you if anyone will." The woman said smoothly, tapping away from him haughtily and closing the door softly behind her.

Face winced. The reverberations of the closing door hurt his ears. Suddenly, it hit him. Husband? Drop in on him? Face stared into the glow of the light. Miss Rebekah Chow had suddenly turned into Mrs. Danny Corliss. Before they had been simply teamed up out of spite. Now they were legally hitched!

Face hadn't ever run into a husband and wife team, but for the first time, he knew he was flagging. The question was, would he crack? He didn't know. After all, loyalty was his middle name. What was wrong with being a martyr anyway?

But he couldn't just sit here, waiting for Mr. Corliss to turn up. He gave a raking cough, and closed his eyes. If he couldn't think of something soon, he'd be dead. And he couldn't give Corliss the chance. Besides, what would the team do if he, well, bit the dust, as it were? He couldn't tell. Murdock would probably start dressing up in a silk shirt, a pair of nice pants and a blue suit coat, rattling off nonsense. A few good voice impressions but nothing more.

Face felt sick. He couldn't let that happen. If Murdock even tried to impersonate him for one moment…but he knew that wouldn't happen anyway. The team would be waiting for him as they always did, no buts about it. He'd have time, if Corliss gave him time. He was used to a one minute time frame, no smaller.

The door opened again, the sound of kissing in the nearby shadows meeting his ears. He rolled his eyes. Romance, in the middle of a beating, how thoughtful. Not exactly that he was surprised. The fact that the two (oddly enough) had a good reason for being in love and bringing themselves to the alter was reason enough to kiss in the dark in front a prisoner, but since he was the object of their hate, he thought it was more a show of power. To show that now that they were united in holy matrimony, they could unite against the A-team in a more solid form.

Suddenly a strange pulsing sound met his ears. It was like a continual beating on the door. For a moment, he blanked out. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could it possibly be that the sound was coming from nearby?

He strained his vocal chords, not caring if he sounded awkward. As loudly as he dared he croaked out, "Hannibal? Hannibal!" He was shouting now, his eyes wild with hope. Perhaps, if they could hear him…the pounding paused, the door was in splinters. The light was flooding into the room, burning his eyes. Someone was putting a hand over his mouth.

Hannibal stood in the doorway, gun in hand a look of hate plastered across his face. Face knew that look, that angry mark in-between his eyebrows. It meant death to all those sleaze-balls out there.

For the first time that evening, Face felt relief. Now that his friends had showed, things were starting to look up. He watched eagerly, as the goons went down, like when you hit a strike in bowling.

It had taken them long enough, and there'd been a few snags, but they'd found him in the end. And he was pretty glad they did. Besides, what would the team be without their meal ticket?


End file.
